the fear of God
9
7.9
- idiom
:
el temor de Dios
- Gracia decides that it is time to put the fear of God into Sara.
- put the fear of God
- the fear of God in people
And these pedophiles, you're going to put the fear of God in them.
- And these pedophiles, you're going to put the fear of God in them.
- It creates the fear of God and it motivates a base to get out.
Examples
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One result of the fear of God is that it keeps you from sinning.
Blog text (28) -
Because you put the fear of God into them.
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I think it's about time that somebody put the fear of God in you.
-
His eyes were full of the fear of God and not much else.
Fiction book (2000) -
Maybe a week in the hospital would put the fear of God into him.
Fiction book (1992) -
But it seems to me that we are in more danger of losing the fear of God.
Blog text (28) -
It really put the fear of God into the prisoners.
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You have to put the fear of God Almighty into them to keep them on a righteous path.
Fiction book (1995) -
I suppose the fear of God comes upon all men, even the cruelest, and Laochailand had more than his share of sins.
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His eyes were full of the fear of God and not much else.
Synonyms
108
3.4
A strong feeling of respect and wonder, sometimes with fear, often caused by something impressive or beautiful
Antonyms
How Afraid
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'fear' and 'God', so a learner who knows both words will understand it involves fear directed at a deity; however its common usage includes cultural and religious nuances (awe, reverence, or a moral/disciplinary fear) and metaphorical extensions (fear inspired by authority) that are not fully predictable from the parts alone. Because the basic compositional sense is clear but the specific pragmatic/idiomatic senses require cultural knowledge or exposure, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The fear of God comes from religious ideas of a powerful God who watches people and punishes wrong actions, so people felt strong fear of him. That's why saying someone has the fear of God means they feel a strong 'fear' or deep 'respect' because of a powerful person or the threat of punishment.